A couple of weeks ago, I went on my first hike to Zion's Emerald Pools Trail. It was my off day and so I joined a couple of Thai friends on the hiking trip. It wasn't a very hard trail, as a matter of fact it is kind of simple. Though simple, I've got to say, the scenery is indeed mesmerizing and breathtaking! I was admiring the natural beauties along the way up.
Here's a bit of the information:Trail Distance: 3 miles round-trip
Lower Pool: .6 miles one-way. 30 minutes. 69' ascent.
Middle Pools: 1 mile one-way. 1 hour. 150' ascent.
Upper Pool: 1.5 miles one-way. 1.5 hour. 350' ascent.
Kayenta Trail: 1 mile one-way. 1 hour. 150' ascent.
Accessible Trail: The lower pool only.
Trail Usage: Heavy in the summer. One of the three most used trails in the park.
Difficulty: Lower Pool - Easy. Middle Pool - Moderate. Upper Pool - Moderately Strenuous.
Sun Exposure: Full sun in most places.
Permits: Not needed
Trail Conditions: Well maintained. Paved lower trail. Dirt and rock, middle and upper trails.
Trailhead: Footbridge across the road from the Zion Lodge.
Trailend: Exiting on the Emerald Pools Trails leads to the Zion Lodge. The Kayenta Trail exit leads to the Grotto Picnic area.Off the Beaten Path: No, this is a popular trail.
Classic Zion Hike: Yes
Elevation Gain: Lower Pool - 69'. Middle Pool - 150'. Upper Pool - 350'. Kayenta to Middle Pool - 150'.
--Information from here.Here are some photos captured by me. I took quite some photos but I am not gonna upload them all. You could find them easily from the internet anyway, but it is really worth a trip to see all of this for yourself!
Shot from underneath the waterfall!
I like this one a lot.
Green!
Noticed that waterfall there?
This is the pool at the end of the trail, the upper pool.
One of my favourite!
Last but not least, here's one of my photo, drinking from the waterfall (or drinking the falling water). LOL.
Been a bit lazy to blog, but you can see that I am trying hard, right?
So last week, we had sudden snow here. Most people went like, "what? Snow in April?!" But it did snow! My first real snow! Some people loves it, some people hates it. My next post will probably be about the two snowing days at Zion Lodge of Zion National Park.
Till then!